keeping the batteries charged

I read a really interesting article by Bill Hybels over the summer – about re-charging your batteries. He identified three batteries that we have and they all need to be charged for us to function effectively. He spoke of a physical battery (kept charged by a healthy diet and good exercise), a spiritual battery (charged by prayer, meditating on the word of God and time with God’s people) and an emotional battery. His observation was that the emotional battery took the longest time to wear down and the longest time to re-charge.

On 11th March this year my emotional battery was flat. I woke up and just couldn’t get the engine started. I agree with Bill Hybels – it takes a long time to get it charged up again. Which means that when reserves are low it’s already dangerous. I had nearly eight months off work and even though I now work less than half the hours I used to my battery still isn’t fully charged.

I know that I have to take time regularly to give my emotional battery a boost. So today I went for a walk in the Peak District and took a few photographs. It was so beautiful – don’t you think? Walking and photography both do the trick for me.

As an added bonus, I always feel really close to God when I’m walking. It boosts my spiritual battery too.

What’s really important is to keep doing things that do us good on a regular basis. I have learned that it’s important not to let the battery get low in the first place so I’m fairly keen to keep them all topped up. I’m watching the bottom of my computer screen so that my laptop battery doesn’t run low and I’m watching my physical, spiritual and emotional gauges to make sure that I don’t run low too.

Are you feeling a little low on charge? Are things a little more difficult than they used to be or need to be? Do you know what charges your batteries? It’s worth finding out. Find out and then keep doing it.